La Hacienda, on New Centre Drive near Target, has a lunch menu with lots of filling options, complete with chips and salsa, for $4.50.

Remember when $5 was all you needed to go out to lunch? That seems like a distant memory when you go to lots of restaurants nowadays, where meals in the $7, $8 and $9 range are commonplace. And most of the time that doesn’t include your beverage. Even at fast food places, unless you opt for the dollar menu you may as well set aside at least $6 for a complete lunch.

But there are exceptions. Some restaurants get the fact that people are more frugal than ever now, be it out of choice or necessity, so they’ve got some great midday meal deals to get cash-strapped customers in the door. Tax and tip notwithstanding, the following places fill you up for less than five bucks.

Know of others? Tell us about them here and you might see your favorites in an upcoming column.

La Hacienda

I can’t remember where I heard about the lunch deals at the somewhat new La Hacienda, 4724 New Centre Drive near Target, but I’ve had them on my list to check out for a few weeks now. I finally got a chance on Friday, and now I’m wondering why I didn’t go sooner. Not only do you have a choice of about 20 entrees for $4.50 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday, but included are bottomless chips with tasty salsa and even a small bowl of cheese dip on the day I was there. The customer service was impressive, too.

I ordered the chimichanga (pictured above in the foreground), a deep-fried flour tortilla filled with chicken (or shredded beef if you prefer) and beans, topped with nacho cheese and served with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole. There were also some cheese-topped beans on the side. My friend got the Special #2, a chili reilleno, taco, beans and guacamole salad. It was enough food to fill two plates.

Each meal was $4.50, and I thought everything was quite tasty. I can’t wait to go back and try some of the other lunch specials.

Charlie’s Boardwalk Subs
Even if you’re a regular on the Carolina Beach Boardwalk, there’s a good chance you may have missed Charlie’s Boardwalk Subs at 8 Pavilion Ave. South, just a few doors north of Krazy Kones. Perhaps you couldn’t wait to hit the beach, or you were distracted by Britt’s Donut Shop. Whatever the case, you may want to pay attention to it the next time you’re out that way because the overlooked eatery has some great dining deals.

While there are several small subs and some 5-inch pizzas for less than $5 on Charlie’s regular menu, some of the best bargains are on the special board you’ll find out front on the sidewalk.

I recently lunched on a hot dog, freshly cooked fries and drink for $3.50, a meal that would cost $4.85 a la carte. There was also a special that included a turkey and cheese sub, fries or chips and a drink for $4.75, a $6.10 value. Not only is the food good and filling, but the outdoor tables are a perfect spot to relax and people watch, too.

Long Island Eatery
I haven’t yet been to Long Island Eatery, 839 S. Kerr Ave. next to Apple Annie’s, but I’m quite certain I’ll be making a stop there this week after hearing about the weekday $4.95 specials.

All day Monday through Friday for that price you get a full-size sandwich, your choice of potato salad, macaroni salad or slaw and a 20-ounce fountain drink. The sandwiches alone cost more than that on the regular menu, so it’s quite a deal. And the owners assure me there’s a good third pound of meat on the cold cut creations, so there’s no skimping or half sizes even though the price has been trimmed significantly.

Monday features roast beef, Tuesday egg salad, Wednesday BLT, Thursday ham and cheese, and Friday turkey. It’ll be tough to decide on a day. Find out more about the new deli on its Facebook page.

[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by StarNewsOnline, Judy Royal. Judy Royal said: @dr_rhodes Thanks for the tip about Long Island Eatery. Can't wait to try. I included lunch specials in my column. http://bit.ly/bjq8x8 […]

About This Blog

Howdy readers,

Welcome to the StarNews food blog – where we focus on the fine, not-so-fine and just plain funky eats in the Cape Fear region. We cover all sorts of edible tidbits: restaurant buzz, interesting ingredients (and how to use them), recipes, great deals and more.